A Corporal Remembered
by Elly3981
Summary: Many years after his passing, Eren and Mikasa visits the grave of their former superior and mentor to pay their respects and ponder the meaning of his life as well as the sacrifices he made for them and the rest of humanity. Eren/Mikasa, Levi/Petra.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan). I write this story for your enjoyment only. It is supposed to take place many years after the end of the series and is purely my speculation on the aftermath because I do not yet know how the anime/manga will end. I have read the manga up to chapter 56 and write this story based upon what I have learned from it. For those of you who have not read the manga up to chapter 55, this installment may contain spoilers because chapter 55-56 reveals surprising facts about Krista and Levi. I repeat, if you don't want spoilers, I suggest you not read any further.**

**A Corporal Remembered**

Fall, year 870

"Hey, Eren, wait up! There's no need to rush since I don't think our former heichou is going anywhere!"

Thirty-five year old Eren Jaeger, 14th commander of the Survey Corps and successor to Erwin Smith, stopped in his tracks and turned to see his wife of ten years trying to catch her breath as she attempted to match his pace. He was in such deep thought that he failed to notice how fast he was walking and Mikasa quickly falling behind. Normally, she would have no trouble keeping up with him but being almost five months pregnant with their third child has made her a bit sluggish and quick to tire and Eren silently cursed himself for his inconsiderence. Turning around, he walked back to Mikasa and gently took her arm as he slowed his pace to her comfort level until they both reached their intended destination.

After a few more minutes of walking, the young couple stopped in front of a simple grave they visited every year on the anniversary of their former superior's death. Never having cared much for extravagance due to his contempt for greedy and corrupt merchants and government officials, Levi insisted upon his deathbed that his grave be kept simple and his friends honored his wish. Before his death, the corporal also requested that his true name be carved upon his grave instead of the alias he had used since joining the Survey Corps a year before the fall of Wall Maria.

"I can't believe it's been almost fifteen years since he's left us" Eren said sadly as he stepped closer and placed the flowers he had been holding on top of the simple grave. Mikasa nodded as she followed her husband's gaze upon the words carved into the white marble:

_In Loving Memory and Honor_

_Levi Ackerman_

_820-856_

_13__th__ Corporal of the Survey Corps_

_True Friend, Unforgettable Leader_

"You missed him, don't you?" Mikasa asked. Years ago, it would have been a ridiculous question considering that their relationship with their former superior got off to a rocky start. While Levi was admired and revered by his subordinates and the public as an excellent soldier and commander, he was also despised and feared by them as a man. Only those closest to the corporal could even begin to understand what kind of man Levi truly was. As they got to know him better, both Eren and Mikasa found that there was definitely more to him than meets the eye. They had heard bits and rumors about his past from Commander Smith and Professor Hanji; before he joined the Survey Corps, Levi was thug and gang-banger but a very skilled and talented warrior second only to the commander himself. His cold demeanor became more understandable when they learned of the hard life he used to lead, having been sold into slavery himself as a child. They were also shocked when they later discovered that the corporal was actually Mikasa's uncle, being the younger half-brother of her father whom he was separated from when they were children.

"Of course, I do. Don't you? He was your uncle, after all. I find it hard to believe that I never really noticed how alike you two were until we found out."

"Believe it or not, you weren't the only one who failed to notice" she said dryly. With the war going on around them, no one could guess a possible blood relation or even notice the physical resemblance between Levi and Mikasa, the most obvious likeness being their hair and eye color as well as the shape of their mouths and noses; not even the astute and observant Professor Zoe Hanji, who spent a great deal of time with them both, ever saw it.

"I've always wondered why he didn't tell us when he knew all along you were his niece. And why your own father never told you about _him._

"Heichou had already explained it to me; while the name 'Ackerman' is not terribly uncommon, he still felt it best to keep our blood relation a secret to protect me because he knew he had a lot of enemies and did not want to put me in danger. As for my father, he once mentioned having a younger brother who was kidnapped as a child but never told me his name or what he was like. Why, I will never know."

Eren was silent. His wife did have a point. Levi may have been a man of few words but he was very protective of those he cared about, related or not. Hanji was right about Eren being grateful to the corporal even though he as well as Mikasa had had very hard feelings towards the man at first. Over time, they warmed up to him after he had saved both of their lives more than once. When others noticed and questioned his protectiveness of them, which seemed to go beyond duty, especially Erwin and Hanji, Levi would say nothing more that he was simply 'concerned' for them the way he would be for any of his squad members. And while others may believe him to be a cold and callous commander who thought of his subordinates as nothing more than expendable pawns, Eren and Mikasa themselves knew better. They knew that the corporal had sacrificed much for them, even going so far as to abandon the lifeless bodies of the soldiers who served him loyally, in order to ensure their survival. Not only did Levi's decision make the families of the fallen soldiers angry at him for years, it also haunted the corporal for the remainder of his days for among the bodies that were lost was that of the woman he loved, Petra Ral.

"You're right" Eren agreed "I should have known he would try to protect you like that."

"He protected you too."

"I know…but at such a tremendous cost…"

Mikasa frowned. Even after all these years, even after Levi himself told Eren he did not fault him for the loss of his elite squad members, her husband still bore their deaths on his conscience for he knew they had died protecting him under Levi's orders, especially Petra; the golden-eyed young woman still held a special place in his heart, second only to Mikasa, because out of Levi's entire squad, she treated him with the most compassion and understanding as well as being the first one to apologize when she turned on him out of fear upon witnessing his accidental titan transformation.

His wife seemed to have read his mind. She had met and known Petra only briefly after she and Eren were reunited for the 57th expedition beyond the walls but quickly took a liking to the older woman, even thanking her for watching over Eren in her place for the time they were separated. Even if she never openly admitted it, Mikasa could tell that Petra thought of her uncle as more than a superior and had the feeling he himself also thought of her as more than a subordinate; Petra's feelings for Levi reflected her own feelings for Eren, after all.

Eren knew that too and it compounded his guilt as well as made him feel even more indebted to Levi and shattered any notion he might have had left of the man as being uncaring towards his subordinates; the corporal knew better than anyone that every soldier had a face, a name, a family who loved them, and not once did he ever tried to delude himself into believing otherwise. And while Levi was very good at hiding his true feelings, he looked as if he was trying his hardest not to break down when Petra's father approached him and inquired about his daughter when they returned to the walls after escaping titan territory. Eventually, he had to tell the families of his fallen squad members the truth and revealing Petra's fate to her family was the hardest thing Levi had ever done. He may have been one of the greatest soldiers humanity has ever known but as a man, he felt that he was a failure since he was unable to protect the woman he loved, not even able to bring her body home for a proper burial she so deserved.

Though he spoke little of his first lieutenant after her death, it was apparent that her loss devastated him like no other; he mourned Petra everyday for the rest of his life, always regretting that he never told her how he truly felt about her until it was too late, always believing that she died thinking he didn't love her when he really did. That was when Levi started urging Eren to acknowledge his feelings for Mikasa and not make the same mistake he did with Petra. Years after the wars ended, Levi managed to get government funding and approval to lead a new expedition to find the remains of the soldiers whose bodies were lost after the disastrous 57th but unfortunately, due to the passage of time, he and his crew had met with little success and the remains of Petra as well as the rest of his squad members were never found, at least, they would never be within his lifetime for the corporal fell ill and died not long after his return from the mission.

He was thirty-six years old.

At least, the official record stated that Levi Ackerman died of illness but those closest to him knew he really died of a broken heart; his failure to recover Petra's remains and find closure seemed to be the final nail in his coffin. Without war, without Petra, Levi could found no other reason to live on so he neglected himself and his health started to fail; even seeing untidiness in his surroundings no longer bothered him. When Eren and Mikasa as well as those closest to the corporal gathered around his deathbed to witness his final moments, they could barely recognize him as the man who was once revered as humanity's greatest soldier, the man who had groomed Eren to lead humans to victory against the titans. Before his death, Levi looked like a pale shadow of his former self, the strength in him that so many other soldiers admired and envied was gone as well as the fire in his eyes. He was so thin and frail that a child could probably break him in half but his appearance was not their main concern and ironically, it was Eren whom Levi allowed to hold his hand as he lay dying and with the last of his strength, told him to continue serving humanity in his place and to succeed where he had failed, his last words being _"Live a good life, be a good man, and take care of my niece, my last living blood." _

"It wasn't your fault, Eren. I know you loved and respected him like a brother. As do I." And she was right; they even named their first-born son, Levi Jaeger, in the corporal's honor, and their younger daughter, Petra Jaeger, in his first lieutenant's.

Eren nodded as he tightened his hold on his wife's hand before turning to her. Taking a deep breath and looking into her lovely blue-grey eyes, he said:

"Mikasa...tell me I have done my duty well, that I am a good man."

His wife raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"Please Mika… I need to hear it."

For a moment, she was confused until it slowly dawned on her what her husband was really trying to say. He needed confirmation that he had served humanity well and thus worthy of the sacrifice Levi and so many others had made for him so he could survive and help humans win the war against the titans. Once she understood Eren's plea, Mikasa gently placed her hands on both sides of his face before leaning forward, touching her forehead to his and whispered:

"You are."

**A/N: Okay, another installment in just 2 days! ^^ I must admit, this particular installment was the most difficult one for me to write so far and I felt inspired after reading chapter 56 of the manga. For those who haven't read it yet and don't mind spoilers, Levi is revealed to have the same last name as Mikasa though his exact relation to her, if any, has not been revealed yet. My guess is that they could be blood-related and that he may possibly be her uncle, cousin, or even a long-lost brother. Since this story is written based off my own speculation, I have decided to make him her uncle. If future chapters and the actual ending of the series makes this story impossible, then I will consider it an AU since I have no way of knowing if Levi will survive the aftermath.**


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